Thursday, July 16, 2009

It has been a pleasure serving as your president this fiscal year, and what a year it has been! This was a historic year not only for our chapter but the nation. Our nation is still recovering from the economic ripples of the financial market collapse felt throughout the nation, but especially here in New York City. The election of our nation’s first African-American president is another event we will be retelling for generations to come.

This fiscal year brought with it a new organizational structure for SHPE-NYC, specifically put in place to tackle our aggressive goals. I am proud to state we have been successful on all fronts thanks to the dedication of a focused executive board and the support from you, our corporate sponsors and members! On previous newsletters and constantly at events you’ve heard me speak of our aggressive growth strategy and through your cooperation and membership we did it! SHPE-NYC, for a 3rd consecutive year, has grown 50% to now be over 150 members! This most recent growth spurt has gained us national recognition asnow SHPE-NYC is the largest SHPE Professional in the nation! We are proud of our growth, but these results are only a litmus test proving the success of our underlying programs and initiatives. This year SHPE-NYC unveiled four new event series (Technology, Cultural, Speaker and Entrepreneurial) and our members have turned to us for services and networks that cannot be found elsewhere.

Other initiatives in the executive relations, corporate relations, SHPE junior and technology space have established the foundation for continued growth and success in these areas. By adapting to the changing global and local economic landscape the value proposition of SHPE-NYC remains clear.

This letter will be my final letter as your president, thank you for allowing me to serve! I’ve served on the SHPE-NYC Executive Board for four years and in that time I’ve seen a complete transformation of our chapter. I originally served on a board led by 4 board members and about 50 members. SHPE-NYC is now led by 13 board members, contains over 150 paid members and hosts frequent quality events. I am proud to be part of this legacy and to count many of you as my dearest friends.

I am excited to see what the future has in store for our chapter. With the combined support of our corporate partners, members and leadership, SHPE-NYC’s future can be nothing but blindingly bright.